Refrigerators are household appliances for keeping foods refrigerated or frozen to store the foods in a fresh state for a long time. The interior of the refrigerator is partitioned into freezing and refrigerating chambers, and an ice-making device is provided in the freezing chamber.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a refrigerator provided with a related art ice-making device, and FIG. 3 shows the ice-making device installed in the refrigerator shown in FIG. 2.
As shown in these figures, freezing and refrigerating chambers 11 and 13 which are partitioned side by side are provided within a main body 10 of a refrigerator. The main body 10 is provided with a freezing chamber door 11a and a refrigerating chamber door 13a in order to selectively open or close the freezing and refrigerating chambers 11 and 13, respectively. The freezing and refrigerating chamber doors 11a and 13a are hinged to opposite lateral sides of the main body 10, respectively, such that the doors can be pivoted in a forward direction.
Furthermore, home bars 15 and 17 are provided on the freezing and refrigerating chamber doors 11a and 13a, respectively. Foods such as drinking water are stored in each of the home bars 15 and 17. Each of the home bars 15 and 17 is composed of a home bar housing 15a or 17a and a home bar door 15b or 17b. 
The home bar housings 15a and 17a are provided on rear surfaces of the freezing and refrigerating chamber doors 11a and 13a, respectively. The home bar housings 15a and 17a are provided with predetermined storage spaces, respectively, in which foods such as drinking water can be received.
Each of the home bar doors 15b and 17b serves to selectively open or close an opening that is formed by cutting out a portion of the freezing or refrigerating chamber door 11a or 13a to correspond to the home bar housing 15a or 17a. Each of the home bar doors 15b and 17b is installed to be vertically pivoted.
Referring to FIG. 2, an ice-making device 19 is installed at one side of the freezing chamber 11. The ice-making device 19 is used to make ice. The ice-making device 19 is retractably installed within the freezing chamber 11. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the ice-making device 19 is composed of a support frame 21 and a pair of ice trays 23.
The support frame 21 is formed into a rectangular shape. The support frame 21 functions to rotatably support the ice trays 23. That is, the ice trays 23 can be installed to be rotatable within the support frame 21.
Each of the ice trays 23 is formed with a plurality of ice-making grooves 23a. Support shafts 24 are provided at the centers of front and rear surfaces of the ice trays 23, respectively. The ice tray 23 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise about the support shaft 24 as viewed in FIG. 2. To this end, the support shaft 24 is rotatably inserted into the rear surface of the support frame 21.
A stopper 25 is installed at a certain position on the rear surface of the support frame 21 corresponding to the left side of the support shaft 24 as viewed in this figure. The stopper 25 protrudes from the rear surface of the support frame 21 by a predetermined distance and is positioned on a moving path of the ice tray 23. The ice tray 23 rotating about the support shaft 24 is twisted by the stopper 25.
A handle 26 is provided on a front surface of the support frame 21 corresponding to the front side of the ice tray 23. The handle 26 is a portion which a user grips to rotate the ice tray 23. A pair of handles 26 are provided to be in harmony with the number of ice trays 23.
Referring again to FIG. 2, an ice bank 27 is installed below the ice-making device 19 within the freezing chamber 11. Ice made in the ice-making device 19 is stored in the ice bank 27. The ice bank 27 is also retractably installed within the freezing chamber 11.
The ice-making device configured as such is operated as follows.
First, the ice-making grooves 23a of the ice tray 23 are filled with water. The freezing chamber door 11a is opened to open the freezing chamber 11. Next, the ice-making device 19 is received at one side of the freezing chamber 11. After the ice-making device 19 is installed in such a way, the freezing chamber door 11a is closed to close the freezing chamber 11.
In the meantime, if the water filled in the ice-making grooves 23a is frozen after a certain period of time, the freezing chamber door 11a is again opened to open the freezing chamber 11. If the handle 26 is rotated clockwise as viewed in FIG. 2, the ice tray 23 is also rotated in the same direction.
When the ice tray 23 is rotated by a predetermined angle, a rear end of the ice tray 23 is caught to the stopper 25. Thus, the ice tray 23 cannot be further rotated clockwise as viewed in FIG. 2. If the handle 26 is further rotated clockwise from such a state as viewed in FIG. 2, the ice tray 23 is twisted. Therefore, ice made in the ice-making grooves 23a is separated from the ice tray 23 and then stored in the ice bank 27.
However, the related art ice-making device for a refrigerator has the following problems.
If a user wishes to withdraw the ice bank 27 with ice stored therein from the freezing chamber 11, he/she should pull the freezing chamber door 11a to open the freezing chamber 11. Therefore, there is a problem in that it is troublesome to put the ice bank 27 into or out of the freezing chamber.
Moreover, when the freezing chamber 11 is opened in order to withdraw the ice bank 27 from the freezing chamber, cold air in the freezing chamber 11 is discharged to the outside. That is, in the related art ice-making device for a refrigerator, cold air in the freezing chamber 11 is unnecessarily discharged to the outside while the ice bank 27 is withdrawn. Therefore, power consumption of the refrigerator is increased.
Further, the ice bank 27 is accommodated in the freezing chamber 11. Thus, it is likely that ice stored in the ice bank 27 is impregnated with odor of foods stored in the freezing chamber 11.
Furthermore, in the related art ice-making device for a refrigerator, water filled in the ice-making grooves 23a of the ice tray 23 is frozen into ice due to cold air circulating in the freezing chamber 11, after a predetermined period of time. Therefore, there is a problem in that water filled in the ice-making grooves 23a of the ice tray 23 may be splashed out of the grooves due to impact generated when the freezing chamber door 11a is opened or closed.